Toy or puzzle.



R. 1). HOWELL. TOY 0R PUZZLE.

A PPLIOATION FILED DBO. 20,1907.

Patented Sept. 22, 1908.

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ILHUYYELL- f w ATTORNEYS RALPH D. HOWELL, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

TOY OR PUZZLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 22, 1908.

Application filed December 20, 1907. Serial No. 407,283.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH D. HOWELL, citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Toys or Puzzles and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention has reference, generally, to improvements in toys or puzzles; and, the present invention has reference, more particularly, to a novel toy orvpuzzle in the form of a box or case which is adapted to be held in the hand or hands and is provided with a raceway or'raceways, in which are movably arranged a plurality of balls or shot adapted to be lodged in a receiving compartment, by tilting and skilfully manipulating the box or casing.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a novel toy or puzzle of the general character hereinafter set, forth, and which is to be known as the loopthe-gap puzzle, and to provide a device of a simple construction, the same aside from affording great amusement, also providing a means for exercising great skill on the part of the operator in the attempt to locate all of the spherical bodies or balls finally in the receiving compartment, afterv having successfully passed all of the balls across a gap located at a certain point in the raceway. I

Other objects of this invention not at this time more particularly enumerated will be clearly evident from the following description of the same.

With the various objects of my present invention in view, the same invention consists, primarily, in the novel toy or puzzle of the general character hereinafter more particularly set forth, and in such arrangements and combination of parts, and the details of the construction of the same, all of which will be more fully described in the following specification, and then finally embodied in the clauses of the claims which are appended to and which form an essential part of the said specification.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figures 1 and 2 are plan or top views of the novel toy or puzzle embodying the principal features of the present invention, Fig. 1 showing all of the spherical bodies deposited in the receiving compartment, and Fig. 2 representing the spherical bodies in various positions, during the manipulation of the device. Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on line 3-3 in said Fig. 1 Fig. 4 is a similar section taken on line 41 in said Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow m,- and Fig. 5 is a similar section, taken on line, 5-5 also in Fig. 1. 7

Referring to the said figures of the drawings, the complete toy or puzzle consists, es-

sentially, of a suitable box or casing 1, which may be made from wood or metal, or any other suitable material; and, the same may be of any desired configuration in its outline, that shown in the accompanying drawings being the preferred form and being usually of a general circular shape.

The box consists, essentially of a base 2 which is surrounded by a marginal side or upwardly extending portion 3, said portion being made with an enlarged or thickened part 4 from which extends a substantially short curved wall or partition 5. The said box or casing is also provided with another curved wall or partition 6 which is considerably widened or provided with .a wide part 7, and from which extend curved partitions or wall-portions 8 and 9, said partitions or wallportions providing a receiving compartment 10. The reference-character 11 indicates a suitable raceway formed by the said side or upwardly extending portion 3, and the curved wall-portions or partitions 5, 6, 8 and 9, the said raceway forming part of a spiral, and being preferably made deeper as at 12 and higher as at 13, the two portions 12 and 13 being connected by means of an incline 14, substantially as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4 of the drawings.

It will be noticed that the greater portion of the higher part 13 of the raceway is inclosed along one edge only by a portion of the side-wall or upwardly extending portion 3 and the curved wall or partition 5, so that the said portion of the raceway is made with an open or exposed marginal edge-portion 15, and between the respective ends of the wallportions or partitions 5 and 9, there is formed another open or exposed marginal edge-portion which provides a gap 16.

As will be noticed from an inspection of the several figures of the drawings, an annularly formed and inclined surface-portion '17 may be formed upon the upper face of the bottom of the box or casing, said inclined surfaceportion extending from the exposed marginal edge-portions 15 of the higher part of the raceway, and from the inner concaved surface-portions of the partitions or walls 6 and 8, downwardly to a point or points at or near the center of the base of the box or casing, as will be clearly evident.

The reference-character 18 indicates a plurality of spherical bodies or balls, usually three of them, although any number may be used which are all of them placed in the depressed or deep part of the raceway between the wall or partition 5 and part of the side wall 3, and the purpose being to move or roll these spherical bodies or balls along this deepened or depressed portion of the race way and upon and over the incline 14 unto the highenparts 13 of the raceway, and then rolling the said spherical bodies along this portion of the raceway, without dropping them off the exposed edge 15 or over exposed edge of the gap 16, finally into the receiving chamber or home-pocket formed between the partitions or wall-portions 8 and 9, in the manner illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

It will be clearly evident from the foregoing description of my present invention, that I have produced a device which is practical in its manipulation, and which affords great pleasure to both old and young, requiring at the same time great skill and patience in finally collecting or depositing all of the spherical bodies or balls in the receiving compartment or home-pocket.

Of course, it will be understood that some changes may be made in the arrangement of the various partitions or walls, as well as in the sizes and shapes of the various portions of the device,,without departing from the scope of the present invention, as defined in the appended claims. Hence, I do not limit my invention to the exact arrangement and combinations of the parts as described in the foregoing specification, and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, nor do I confine myself to the exact detail of the construction of the said parts. i

I claim.

1. A toy or puzzle consisting of a base and an upwardly extending outer wall, both form ing a box-lilre structure of a circular configuration, a spirally formed race-way, said race-way being made with raised and depressed rolling surfaces, partitions bounding portions of the marginal edge-portions of the raceway, said partitions being made with an open space, so as to provide a gap between part of the raised and part of the depressed surfaces of the raceway, part of the raised-portion of the raceway being exposed along its inner marginal edge, and the boxlike structure being provided with inclined surface-portions open to a portion of the raceway and inclining toward the center of the structure.

2. A toy or puzzle consisting of a base and an upwardly extending outer wall, both forming a box-like structure of a circular configuration, a spirally formed race-way, said race-way being made with raised and depressed rolling surfaces, partitions bounding portions of the marginal edge-portions of the race-way, said partitions being made with an open space, so as to provide a gap between part of the raised and part of the depressed surfaces of the race-way, part of the raised portion of the raceway being exposed along its inner marginal edge, and the box-like structure being provided with inclined surface-portions open to a portion of the raceway and inclining toward the center of the structure, and a receiving compartment at the end ofthe said raceway in which the spherical bodies are adapted to be received.

8. The herein described toy or puzzle comprising a base and an upwardly extending outer Wall, both forming a box-like structure of a circular configuration, a spirally formed raceway, marginal walls 5 and 6 adjacent to said raceway, said wall 6 being provided with a widened part 7 and curved wall-portions 8 and 9 extending from said widened part 7, said portions 8 and 9 forming a ballreceiving compartment between them, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. The herein described toy or puzzle comprising a base and an upwardly extending outer wall, both forming a box-like structure of a circular configuration, a spirally formed race-Way, marginal walls 5 and 6 adjacent to said raceway, said wall 6 being provided with a widened part 7 and curved wall-portions 8 and 9 extending from said widened part 7, said portions 8 and 9 forming a ball-receiving compartment between them, the said raceway being made with raised and depressed rolling surfaces, and formed with an open space between the wall 5 and the wall-portion 9, so as to provide a gap between part of the raised and part of the depressed surfaces of the raceway, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. The herein described toy or puzzle comprising a base and an upwardly extending outer wall, both forming a box-like structure of a circular configuration, a spirally formed race-way, marginal walls 5 and 6 adjacent to said raceway, said wall 6 being provided with a widened part 7 and curved wall-portions 8 and 9 extending from said widened part7, said portions 8 and 9 forming a ballreceiving compartment between them, the said raceway being made with raised. and depressed rolling surfaces, and formed with an open space between the wall 5 and the wall portion 9, so as to provide a gap between part of the raised and part of the depressed sur- In testimony, that I claim the invention faces of the raceway, and part of the raised set forth above I have hereunto set my hand 10 portion of the raceway being exposed along this sixteenth day of December, 1907.

its inner marginal edge, and the box-like 5) structure being provided with inclined sur- RALPH HOWELL face-portions open to a portion of the race- Witnesses: way inclining toward the center of the struc- GEORGE D. RICHARDS, L ture. FREDK. C. FRA-ENTZEL. 

